1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image recording apparatus having a liquid ejection head which ejects liquid.
2. Description of Related Art
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2006-247844 discloses an ink-jet printer including four ink-jet heads and a maintenance unit. The four ink-jet heads, each of which is elongated in a direction perpendicular to a paper conveyance direction, are arranged side by side in the paper conveyance direction. The maintenance unit performs maintenance on the four ink-jet heads. In the ink-jet printer, the maintenance unit has a support member, a blade (wiper), a wipe roller, and an ink receiver. The support member is horizontally movable in the direction perpendicular to the paper conveyance direction. The blade (wiper), the wipe roller, and the ink receiver are mounted on the support member. While the support member is located in a maintenance position opposed to the four ink-jet heads, a purge operation is performed to eject ink from nozzles of the ink-jet heads onto the support member. Then, while the ink receiver, the wipe roller, and the blade is moving together with the support member from the maintenance position to the withdrawal position, they sequentially get opposed to ink ejection faces to absorb and wipe off ink. In this way, maintenance is performed on the four ink-jet heads.
In a case where wipe-off of ink is ended in the middle of the ink ejection face, ink collected by the blade is accumulated to form an ink pool at a point of ending. If ink droplets accidentally drop from the ink pool, ink adheres to a conveyor belt or a paper being conveyed on the conveyor belt, to contaminate the conveyor belt or the paper.